PYQ Vault · Paper 1 · Caste, Religion & Ethnicity
“Relative deprivation is a major source of ethnic conflict.” Elaborate the statement with relevant examples.
How the answer moves
The flow snapshot — the routes in, the body, the counter-view and the routes out.
Flow snapshot — how the answer moves
Intro routes
Rr! conflict not from difference but from perceived disadvantage → Gurr's ‘ought-is’ gap R2 relative deprivation defined → a group compares status / resources / recognition → identity becomes grievance
Body flow
deprivation mechanism (economic, social, cultural, language exclusion) → North-East (Assam, Nagaland): neglect + weak development → Bodo: land, language, institutional exclusion → Telangana: deprivation within a larger state —. Guru: Dalit exclusion (bottom-up) → Yadav: Jat / Patidar status- anxiety (dominant castes fear decline)
Counter-view
deprivation supplies the grievance but is not sufficient → it erupts as conflict only when politically mobilised
Conclusion routes
R1 deprivation = grievance, mobilisation = trigger R2 the answer lies in recognition, representation and equitable development
Model answer
Handwritten, in the form it would be written in the examination hall.
